Mother Teresa once assured her followers, “Mother is here to help you, guide you, lead you to Jesus. Time is coming closer when Mother also has to go to God. Then Mother will be able to help each one of you more, guide you more, and obtain more graces for you.” Mother Teresa’s mission to guide us to Jesus’s light and to help each of us “be His light” still continues. What she wrote years ago is realized even more effectively today as she intercedes for us from Heaven: “I pray that each one of you be holy, and so spread His love everywhere you go. Light His Light of truth in every person’s life, so that God can continue loving the world through you and

me.”

How to pray this novena more fruitfully

God Speaks in Silence

Before beginning, seek a silent place that will help you to pray, preferably in a church or chapel in front of the Blessed Sacrament. Create silence within yourself, for God is the friend of silence. He is always waiting for us in silence — to speak to us and to listen to us. “In the silence of our hearts, God speaks of His love; with our silence, we allow Jesus to love us” (Mother Teresa).

Read some or all of the quotes provided for the day and allow them to penetrate your heart. Stay with Mother Teresa’s words for a while and let one of the thoughts grow in your heart and accompany you throughout the day. Unite yourself with all your brothers and sisters throughout the world who are suffering in darkness and pain, then prayerfully recite the Prayer to Saint Teresa. You may also make some concrete act of charity toward someone in your own family, community or neighborhood as a way of living more profoundly the spirit and message of Mother Teresa during the Novena.